Shopping centre managers to benefit from MECSC seminar on the secrets of successful marketing

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As shopping centres face a more intensely competitive environment, the need for effective marketing, research and promotion becomes increasingly important.

Organised by the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres (MECSC), the two-day seminar will also highlight the importance of re-visiting strategies that increase sales, productivity and efficiency, and develop insights into marketing trends that will define the future.

'The retail landscape in Egypt has been growing at a rapid pace and the industry expects the market to sustain these high levels of growth. Shopping centre managements have recognised the need to re-visit their marketing strategies to keep pace with consumer behaviour that is constantly evolving,'

said Carolyn J. Feimster, President and founder of CJF Marketing International (CJFMI), who will facilitate at the seminar.

Feimster's qualifications include the industry's internationally recognised SCMD designation, Senior Certified Shopping Centre Marketing Director.

Tourism traffic around the world has grown in recent years, including in the Middle East. Of the resulting tourism receipts, 3% were earned in the Middle East region, with the UAE a growing leader in the tourism industry in the region. In 2006, 7,944,600 visitors came to the UAE, spending over Dhs15,929m, nearly as high as the leading Middle East market - Egypt which is recognised as one of the most price competitive destinations.

Tourism to Egypt witnessed a boost in 2006, recording 9.082 million tourists who spent 89.3 million nights resulting in revenues of $7.6bn. Retail opportunities in Cairo are on par with innovative lifestyle shopping malls around the world and Egypt is now focused on long-term tourism growth strategies.

According to a recent World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) report, travel and tourism will generate $148m worth of economic activity in the Middle East region in 2007 and grow to $280m in 2016.

'Today's consumer in the Middle East is a sophisticated creature, who owes no loyalty to a shopping centre unless it meets their high expectations and offers a unique shopping experience. New generation malls are no longer about shopping but are destinations in their own right. The best planned centres should also aim to create an optimal combination of tenants that will maximise centre turnover and retailer profits and therefore total net rentals,' Feimster added.

Feimster, who has previously conducted workshops and seminars in the Gulf and Middle East regions as well as internationally, also said tenant mix determines the attractiveness of the centre for consumers.

The seminar's course outline includes role of marketing in the development and re-development, leasing issues, values of consumer research, conducting a shopping centre audit, customer service and developing a marketing plan.

Kim Redman, Regional Director, MECSC said: 'Utilising a team effort to develop a marketing plan for new or renovated shopping centres is fundamental to the success of your shopping centre. This two-day seminar will focus on marketing strategies, tactics and techniques designed expressly for shopping centre professionals.'

'The attendees will benefit from one of the most knowledgeable marketing professionals in the industry. By the time this seminar concludes, the attendees will have a significantly enhanced understanding on how the experts conduct market research, do surveys and analyse data, understand consumer behaviour and establish the optimal tenant mix for the centre.'

Carolyn J. Feimster, SCMD, has over 30 years of retail, economic development, tourism development and shopping centre experience including: regional malls, specialty centres, community centres, power centres, urban entertainment centres, downtown retail districts and commercial districts. Her work has included developing and implementing business, economic development, marketing and tourism plans and implementation of a variety of shopping centre and retail industry training programmes and seminars.